The Arc of Pennsylvania is excited to announce the 2nd annual in-person Disability Health Action Summit. The event is taking place on March 19, 2025 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey hotel and registration is now open! The theme of the day will be Advancing Health Equity for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
People with disabilities have long been experiencing health disparities. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, came worsened health outcomes for people with disabilities. It also brought about much needed attention and funds to research the emerging health disparities. The Arc of Pennsylvania was provided funds through the Pennsylvania Department of Health to do just that, and the results of the three-year long project are what prompted this summit. Years of previous research on this topic was further reinforced by the findings from the Arc of PA’s Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among People with Disabilities. Consequently, the need for a conference dedicated exclusively to addressing health equity for people with disabilities became apparent. The Disability Health Action Summit was made possible by a grant from The Foundation for Enhancing Communities – Pennsylvania Disability Advocacy Fund.
This conference seeks to dive deeper into four major focus areas: (1) Education of Medical Professionals, (2) Elevating the Voices of Self Advocates, (3) Policy Changes, and (4) Advancing Dental Care.
This is an in-person only event at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey hotel, with no option to attend or present virtually.
8:00 am – 8:30am Registration
8:30 am – 8:45 am Welcome
8:45 am – 9:00 am Opening
9:00 am – 10:00 am Breakouts
10:00 am – 10:30am Break & Time to Visit Vendor Tables
10:30am – 11:30 am General Session
11:30 am – 1:00 pm Lunch & Time to Visit Vendor Tables
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Breakouts
2:00 pm – 2:15 pm Break
2:15pm – 3:30 pm General Session
3:30 pm – 3:45pm Closing
The Arc of Pennsylvania will provide accessibility accommodations requested at least 20 days in advance.
Email Shaniece Ebelhar at [email protected] or call 717-234-2621 Ext 114 with questions regarding registration or the summit.
Email Susan WoskaBond at [email protected] or call 717-234-2621 Ext 107 with questions regarding the hotel information.
Request for refund must be requested by 2/21/2024
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The Arc of Pennsylvania’s Making Employment Work course is an ACRE Basic Certification Training. In order to receive certification, participants must attend a 3 day, in-person training and then complete a self-paced, online curriculum. Completing this certification course will qualify individuals to provide Supported Employment services with Pennsylvania’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Office of Developmental Programs. Our training combines lessons learned from traditional Supported Employment and Customized Employment techniques.
Arc Discovery Employment Transitions (ADEPT) is The Arc of Pennsylvania’s customized employment program. The Arc of Pennsylvania supports individuals with significant impact of disability to seek and maintain customized employment in their community. As a result, The Arc of Pennsylvania’s consultants are trained and nationally certified by Marc Gold & Associates, a national leader in customized employment, to provide Discovery, Customized Employment Job Development, and Systematic Instruction to individuals with disabilities in Pennsylvania who are seeking employment. In addition to providing customized employment services, The Arc of Pennsylvania hosts several certification courses with Marc Gold & Associates for individuals and organizations interested in national certification in Discovery, Job Development, and Systematic Instruction.
Include Me is a new model for inclusive education and gaining meaningful employment for Pennsylvania’s students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of Pennsylvania and Include Me believe all individuals with significant impact of developmental and intellectual disability deserve equal educational and competitive employment rights. Our mission, build and strengthen the inclusive education capacity for all public-school students, and discover meaningful employment opportunities meeting Pennsylvania employee and employer needs. Include Me strives to ensure all impacted students have equal access to all aspects of life and the community throughout their lifespan.
Include Me is an initiative that was part of the agreement on final terms between the plaintiffs and the Pennsylvania Department of Education in the Gaskin Settlement Agreement. We were initially assigned to work with school districts with the lowest inclusion rates. After the initial success, we have grown in reputation among school districts. Currently districts voluntarily chose our services, which are provided free of charge to the district. In addition to our School Age services, we offer transition-age services to help teams plan a path to customized employment for students transitioning from high school.
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